Jeanette Rainey, the Killer's Niece
by VioletRose13
Summary: Jeanette is the teenage niece of famous author, Mort Rainey. But what happens when her mother forces her to spend an entire summer with him in his cabin in the woods after an incident involving her boyfriend, another girl... and the police?
1. Prologue

'Turn around. Turn around and get the hell out of here. NOW.' That was the only thing that was going through Jeanette Rainey's mind at the moment.

It was three days before summer vacation and everyone was having fun at the Annual Summer Carnival at the pier. Jeanette looked out at the fair sitting by the ocean; she wanted to turn herself around and go home and forget everything she intended to do, but she just couldn't get over this feeling. She walked onto the dock, looking at each and every game and ride there was. Soon, she found what she was looking for. She saw her boyfriend, Logan Clark, riding on a spinning teacup ride. But the one thing that really made Jeanette wince was that he was with _another girl_ , Sydney Harrison. At first she thought they were just hugging, but then she saw that they were also _kissing_ in a very passionate way.

Logan was cheating on Jeanette; she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing, but it was right there before her eyes. She was so angry, humiliated, and heartbroken at the sight that she blindly grabbed a metal bat from a game vendor, pushed her way through the line of people, and climbed onto the moving ride, despite the protests of the .

She stomped her way over to the teacup Logan and Sydney were in and she stared at them with a dangerous look in her eyes. When they stopped, they were quickly met with the deep brown eyes of the enraged young woman. As she glared daggers at them, Jeanette suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs. It was the shrillest and most horrifying shriek anyone has ever heard; it was so high that it could be heard in Hell. Havoc immediately broke out at the pier; patrons and employees alike started to panic and cry out in terror, they didn't know what to do.

The police arrived.


	2. Arriving at Uncle Mort's

A few weeks later, Jeanette was in her mother's car driving someplace unknown to her. She didn't know what to expect.

"Why are we doing this again?" Jeanette asked, slumping down into the back seat.

"You know why! Your behavior is out of control!" Her mother said, keeping her focus on the road ahead.

"What behavior? I don't know what you're talking about."

"That! Ever since that night at the pier, you haven't been yourself."

"Oh? Like how?"

"You hardly talk anymore and when you do, you always yell and that's usually mixed with an enraged scowl that makes my blood run cold every time you stare at me like that."

"You're point…?"

"I just worry about you, honey, and I only want you to get better. Just try and get over this, please."

"Logan cheated on me, I was arrested for assault and climbing onto a moving carnival ride, I was suspended from school, and now I'm probably gonna get dropped off at some kind prison. How can I get over all that?"

"I know you're going through a lot right now and the stress is a little too much, but I know this will blow over; trust me. I just think you need some time away from the city to blow off some steam. This will be good for you, I promise."

Soon, the car stopped at a house in the middle of the forest by the lake. Jeanette looked out the window, saw the house, and she realized something.

"Mom? This isn't prison. Where are we?" She asked.

"I was never going to send you to jail." Jeanette's mother said. "This is your Uncle Mort's house."

"Uncle _Mort_? Are you sure? Looks pretty remote."

"So?"

" _So_ , the last _I_ checked, Uncle Mort lived in _Riverdale_ with Aunt Amy."

"Not anymore. They split a while ago and Amy disappeared; people think that she was murdered."

"What!?"

"Yeah, pretty nasty."

"What happened?"

"I don't think you should be hearing this stuff right now."

"Why?"

"While he may seem good now, it's been pretty rough for him since he and Amy split and I don't want you to go and hassle him with questions about it."

"Oh, okay. I get it. Sorry, mom."

"It's alright. Okay, stay out here while I go in and talk to him."

"Fine, sure… I'm kinda scared to see him anyway."

"Don't be, he's harmless. Now when you're inside, I want you to be polite. _Please_ don't be tiresome around him. He can get really stressed out."

"Okay, okay. I won't."

"Good. I won't be long."

Jeanette's mom climbed out of the car, walked over to the house, and saw the door wide open; she raised an eyebrow at this. Not knowing what to do, she invited herself in and looked around. On the second floor, Mort Rainey was sitting at his desk working hard on a brand new story, only he had headphone in and he didn't hear his sister enter.

"Hello! Mort?" She called out; that immediately caught Mort's attention.

He smiled down at her and said, "Carmen? Hi, come on up!"

Confused by her brother's happy tone, she walked up the stars and met him at his desk. He had braces, his hair was a different color, and he looked much happier.

"Hi, Mort." She said in an uneasy tone.

"So, what brings you here?" Mort asked; Carmen facepalmed.

"You forgot that you're supposed to look after Jeanette. Surprise, surprise." She frowned.

"Jeanette? Your daughter? She's here?! Oh my god! I'm so sorry, sis!" Mort cried as he stood from his desk chair and went down the stairs.

"You are?"

"Of course! I completely forgot her visit was today! I was so caught up in my work that is must've slipped my mind."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, Mort; easy. It's no big deal, really."

"…Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure."

They walked into Mort's kitchen. She turned to her brother who was already pouring himself a steaming cup of coffee.

"I'm really sorry about what happened between you and Amy." She apologized, lowering her voice to a sympathetic murmur.

She put her hand tenderly on his arm. Mort waved off the comment sullenly.

"Don't worry about it, it's not your fault." He replied before slurping another small mouthful of coffee.

"I'll come back to pick up Jeanette some time by the end of August." Carmen changed the subject.

"Wait—August?" Her brother echoed, nearly choking on his drink.

"Ugh! Mort, I thought we went over this three days ago." Carmen groaned. "I said over the phone that Jeanette would have to spend some time at your house for a while. She's going through a lot of stressful stuff right now and I don't think she can handle any more thanks to the city."

"Why? What happened to her?"

"Well… She was suspended from school, she was arrested, and she dumped her boyfriend… all in _one night_."

"Hold up—she was _arrested_? _And_ she has a _boyfriend_?"

"You're missing the point."

"Which is?"

"The point _is_ that I really think that this will be good for her. She needs to get out of the city more often and she also needs to spend time with more family… other than _me_. Get it _now_? She is your niece, after all. You haven't seen each other in years." Carmen asked, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"And whose fault is that?" Mort asked sarcastically under his breath.

"Don't push it…" His sister growled at him.

Mort ran a hand through his hair, exhaling softly. "I'm sorry. It just… slipped my mind."

"It's okay. But honestly, Mort; don't act like it's such a big deal. I'm pretty sure you can handle a teenage girl." She grumbled, hitching her purse over her shoulder and standing up.

"What do you wanna bet?" He asked in a sarcastic tone.

Carmen looked back at her big brother with a stern look in her eyes; he cringed a little in fright.

"Don't start, please." She said.

Mort sighed. "Where is she now?"

"She's waiting in the car. I'll go get her." She said, standing up and giving Mort a look of encouragement as she passed out the door.

"Okay." He replied, setting his mug down and heading back up to his desk.

Jeanette waited and waited for her mom to return and soon, she did.

"Get your things outta the trunk, dear. He's waiting for you inside." Carmen said to her daughter.

"Okay." She said as she unbuckled her seat belt.

Soon, Jeanette had all of her things taken out of the trunk of her mother's car and by the time she had all her stuff, she was standing outside the car and staring at the house before her.


	3. Dear Diary

Jeanette looked at the house before her and grimaced at the sight.

'Yeesh, this place is even more of a dump up close.' She thought.

She took in a breath, walked up to the house, and reluctantly knocked on the door. Mort got up from his chair, opened the door, and he saw his now teenage niece with a suitcase and wearing a blue camouflage backpack. She was looking a little nervous.

"Hey." She said, her voice slightly shaking.

Jeanette stared at her uncle who simply stared back with a surprised expression. There was a long awkward silence. Neither of them spoke; it's been almost ten years since they've last seen each other and they didn't know what to say to break the ice.

"Come on in." Mort finally spoke up as Jeanette walked inside with her luggage in tow.

He closed the door when she was completely inside. She looked around and set her backpack and case by the couch as she sat down. Jeanette soon unzipped her backpack, fumbling around for her journal and pencil bag. She opened her journal, took out a pencil, and began to write.

'7/1/2005

I just arrived at my Uncle's Mort's house and it's a total shack. I think he should consider decorating, at least. And why did he buy a house in the middle of the woods in the first place? Doesn't make much sense if you ask me. I also just heard that he and Aunt Amy for some reason I don't completely understand… and she disappeared without a trace. I wonder what happened between them. I know it's none of my business but I'd really like to know what was going on.'

"You hungry?" Mort asked.

"Uh… yeah. Sure, I can eat." Jeanette answered before closing her journal, setting it down, and walking into the kitchen. Mort nodded his head and swung open the fridge door.

"Let's see, we have…" He trailed off looking over a few water bottles, Tupperware filled with corn, and yogurt cups. "…Yogurt?"

"Sure, why not? I'll eat anything." She replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay. Unless you'd rather have some corn instead."

"Uh, no thanks. Yogurt's good."

He took out two cups and two spoons and gave one of each to his niece; she headed towards the table after she muttered a 'thanks'. The two of them sat down at the table eating their cups' contents and after a long moment of awkward silence, Jeanette finished her cup first, looked at her uncle, and asked,

"Hey, Uncle Mort? Should I put my stuff somewhere where it isn't in the way?"

"Oh, sure." Mort replied. "Why don't you head upstairs and put your overnight clothes in some drawers I cleared out? The foldout bed has been set up and you can have a shower either tonight or tomorrow. The bathroom is joined onto the bedroom upstairs and your mom sent over extra towels."

"Okay. Thanks."

Jeanette stood up from the table, grabbed her stuff, and climbed up the stairs to the second floor; she stopped in front of her uncle's computer and looked out over the balcony.

"Nice view." Jeanette said to herself from the room that looked over the den.

Mort muttered something under his breath, throwing the cups into the trash and putting the spoons in the sink while also washing his hands a bit. He wiped his wet hands on a towel sitting on the counter as he looked up at the stairs.

"Teenagers." He chuckled, pushing up his glasses over the bridge of his nose.

Jeanette stood at her uncle's desk and stared at the long, dragging sentences on the laptop's screen. She leaned in and placed her hands on the edge of the desk right next to the machine and nearly yawned.

"Christ, this story needs some _serious_ upgrades." She frowned as she leaned closer, being careful not to slip.

Then, her eyebrows rose and she made a mischievous smirk. She got an idea; why not add some revisions herself? After all, she _did_ like to call herself "an aspiring writer at heart". She was about to set her fingers on the keyboard, but then she stopped herself.

'No; I shouldn't mess with Uncle Mort's stuff. One little slip up and he'll send me off to a crappy motel across town. Still…' She thought.


	4. Meeting Shooter

"Hey, Jeanette?" Mort's voice called from downstairs.

"Yeah?" Jeanette asked.

"You wanna go out for a hike?"

"A hike?"

"Yeah, through the woods. You used to love going out for walks. Or how about a swim in the lake? Or just a walk through the town?"

"Not now, Uncle Mort. If I want to go out, I'll go later and I'll do it on my own."

"Sorry. I was just asking."

Jeanette walked back down the stairs to the living room; her uncle was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"I didn't mean to snap." Jeanette said. "I'm just a little pissed about this whole situation."

"I get it… Wanna talk about it?" Mort asked.

"No. At least not now."

"Okay. But if you wanna talk, you can always come to me."

"Thanks."

That night after dinner, Jeanette got herself ready for bed. She put on her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and went down to the foldout bed that was set up in the living room.

"Jeanette?" Mort asked before he headed up the stairs.

"Yeah?" The girl asked, laying down in the bed.

"Are you sure you're okay? You can still talk it over with me if you want."

"Ugh, I said I'm fine. Can you just drop it already? I just wanna go to bed."

"Okay, fine… And Jeanette?"

"What?"

"…Goodnight."

"Night."

That night, Jeanette had a fitful sleep. The images of Logan and Sydney kept flashing through her mind, refusing to go away. The last thing she saw before snapping awake was Logan screaming "EAVESDROPPING SLUT!" into her face. She woke with a start in a cold sweat, her heart pounding and breathing heavily.

Jeanette looked around the dark room, remembering that she wasn't in her own bed at home; she heaved an exasperated sigh before getting up and going to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

'Oh, shit…' She said to herself, taking a gulp of water from her cup.

She checked her watch and saw that it was exactly 1:00 in the morning; she couldn't go back to sleep. She set her glass down, grabbed her sweatshirt, a pair of sneakers, and a flashlight; she planned on going out for a walk, hoping that would help clear her mind. With her flashlight in hand, she zipped up her sweatshirt, quietly snuck out the door, and started to walk through the woods. It was a fairly warm night and there were lots of mosquitoes, but she felt she could care less.

Somewhere along the forest path, she found a large tree branch and she decided to use it as a walking stick. She walked and walked until she heard a twig snap from behind her; she turned around and shined the flashlight to where she thought the sound was, but no one was there. Jeanette paused for a minute, then continued to walk until she came across a clearing near the road. There was a gray car parked on the path and leaning against it was a man she didn't recognize at all; he was tall and wore casual clothes complete with a stupid-looking black hat. He had a rock on his hand.

"Howdy there, lil' missy." The man said in a thick Southern accent. Jeanette said nothing and took a step back. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

She rolled her eyes and turned around to go back, but the man stopped her.

"Now hold on there, I mean ya no harm. I just wanna talk." He said.

"…About what?" Jeanette asked, turning back around and approaching the man. "Who are you anyway?"

"I figured you'd ask that."

"Isn't that the whole point? A young girl walking around the forest in the middle of the night comes across a mysterious stranger? She'd want to know who she's dealing with, wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose so. That's why I came all the way up here from Mississippi."

"Mississippi, huh?"

"That's right. People call me John Shooter… And can I call you just Jeanette or Miss Rainey?"

Jeanette suddenly froze.

"How-how did you…?"

"I know lots of things, especially about your uncle Mort."

"You know my uncle?"

"I do indeed."

"Are you neighbors or college friends or-or what?"

"I know him, nothing more. Let's just leave it at that. What in the world are you doin' out in the woods so late?"

"Just going for a late walk. What about you?"

Shooter didn't answer; he just reached into his coat pocket which made Jeanette flinch and take a step back.

"Hold on, I'm just gettin' my smokes." He said, holding out a cigarette pack with only one cigarette left inside; he offered it to her, but she pushed it away in disgust.

"I don't smoke." She said as she saw him take out the cigarette and light it.

"Don't you know that your uncle is a filthy plagiarist?" Shooter asked.

"What?"

"You heard me; your uncle stole my story."

"No he didn't."

"Ask him yourself if you don't believe me."

"Of course I don't believe a fucking word you say. You're accusing my uncle of doing something he would _never_ do."

"If your uncle really is the good man you think he is, go ask him yourself."

"I don't have to do anything you say. In fact, I don't even have to listen to you. I'm going back to bed."

Jeanette quickly turned on her heels and headed back down the path where she came.

"Ask him; he'll tell you the whole truth, whether you like it or not." Shooter said before he threw the rock in his hand; luckily, it narrowly missed her feet.

"Fuck off, you creep." She muttered.


	5. The Next Morning

There was a loud knocking at the front door; Jeanette begrudgingly woke up at the sound. Groaning and rolling her eyes, she got up from the couch and headed towards the door. The pain in her head last night was dulled from a sharp migraine to an almost ignorable ache. She went up to the door and opened it, only to see her ex-boyfriend and the girl he kissed that night she was arrested. Her eyes widened in shock and anger.

"…What the hell?" Jeanette asked.

"Nice to see you too, Jeanette." The girl sarcastically greeted.

"What do you want, Sydney?" Jeanette spat.

"Nothing. We were just passing through." The boy awkwardly chimed in.

Jeanette looked her ex-boyfriend in the eye and gave him a dark glare. "Logan…"

"Hi… What are you doing here, Jeanette?"

"I'm staying here for the summer."

"Why?" Sydney asked.

"None of your business."

Suddenly, Mort came down the stairs. He yawned and noticed his niece standing in the open doorway before he was about to enter the kitchen. He joined her at the door.

"Morning, Jeanette." He yawned before seeing the two adolescents standing before him. "Oh, hi. I'm Mort."

Sydney took a quick look at Mort and looked back at Jeanette. "What's with the deadbeat?"

"Hey! That is my _uncle_ you're talking about." Jeanette snapped, crossing her arms.

"Your uncle?" Logan asked in surprise. "You never mentioned an uncle."

"I'm guessing _you_ are my niece's ex-boyfriend." Mort commented before getting closer to Logan. "…She doesn't deserve people like you." He looked at Sydney. "Or you."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean, you old fart?" Sydney asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"My niece doesn't need toxic people like you."

"Toxic? Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"If you don't tell me why you're here right now, I'm gonna call the police." Jeanette said, reaching out to pick up the telephone.

"We don't want any trouble." Logan said, trying to be the voice of reason. "I just wanted to see how you were holding up after… you know."

"That was _weeks_ ago."

"I wanted to give you some time to cool down."

"Nice try, Clark. What's the real reason you're here? And why'd you bring _her_?" Jeanette pointed at Sydney who rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I just wanted to see how much of a mess you are. It was _my_ idea."

"Look, if you're not here to make some kind of peace or anything of the sort, then you might as well get off my property." Mort said, furrowing his brow at Sydney.

"Make peace? With _her_? No way." Sydney scoffed.

"I wasn't asking. Get off."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"I'm pretty sure I just did. Go away and leave my niece alone."

"Make me."

"Do you _want_ me to get out my rifle?"

Logan's eyes widened in fear and he quickly took Sydney by the hand and they started to walk away from the house.

"This isn't over." Sydney hissed as she and Logan got into their car and drove off.

When they were finally out of sight, Jeanette looked at her uncle in shock.

"Since when do you own a rifle?" She asked as they went back inside.

"I don't. I just said that to scare them off." Mort answered, closing the door.

"Good luck trying to scare that bitch. Logan is a huge wuss, but Sydney is another story. _Nothing_ scares her. I know, I tried."

"Why does she hate you so much?"

"She's just mad that I interrupted her and Logan's 'tender moment' on the spinning teacups."

Mort paused and tried to figure out what she they could've possibly been doing on a carnival ride until it hit him; he looked at his niece with wide eyes.

"In _public_?" He questioned.

She nodded and smirked. "Sydney just refuses to let the situation go. Pathetic, huh?"

"I guess, but isn't that a little mean?"

"What is?"

"I mean, interrupting them while they were kissing and causing a scene. Someone could've gotten hurt."

"Logan _cheated_ on me with her. What did you expect me to do?"

"Sheesh, I was only trying to help."

"Yeah? Well good job." Jeanette pouted and folded her arms as she sat on the couch, looking away from Mort.

Mort remained quiet, unable to find the right thing to say.

"Hey, uh… I need to go into town and pick up a few things for breakfast. You wanna come with?" He asked.

"Why should I?" Jeanette asked.

"It could be good for you. What do you say? You need to go outside and get some sunshine and fresh air."

"You're starting to sound like a stay-at-home mom trying to get her kids off the damn couch."

"Are you coming or not?"

Jeanette remained silent for a minute or two before getting up from the couch and heading to the bathroom. She came back out after a few minutes in a new change of clothes; her favorite clover barrette was in its usual spot in her short dirty blonde hair. She picked up her cheap leather purse.

"Just to get you off my back." She grumbled as she headed to the door.

"…Whatever works, I guess." Mort shrugged his shoulders and followed after her.


End file.
